In the final Nations League game against Montenegro, Turkey wants to secure promotion to the A-League. Captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu is out injured, but will still travel with the team to Podgorica. Coach Vinzenco Montella also spoke in advance about recurring criticism and rumors of departure.
“We have received criticism again and again. But we took part in the European Championship as group winners, played in the quarter-finals there and are now on the verge of promotion to the A-League,” said Montella at the press conference before the final Nations League game Montenegro together. When a Turkish journalist asked how the 51-year-old coach reacted to the criticism that kept coming despite his actually presentable results, he answered calmly that he saw himself as the team’s “protective shield.” “My duty is to accept this criticism, but not to let it reflect on the team. And rest assured, we try to do our best every time. But you can’t always please everyone.”
Roma return was never an issue
Montella sees the fact that there has been increasing speculation in recent weeks about a possible return to his former club AS Roma as “things that always exist in this job” as well as the criticism of himself. “I am very happy here and I think I am loved here, even if it sometimes seems different. If one day the situation arises that people no longer want to continue with me or I want to leave, our president will be Be the first person to know about it.”
At the end of the Nations League now Montenegro. The South Balkan state is still in last place in the group with no points, but Montella still expects a “difficult opponent”, but also emphasizes: “This adventure began in the C league, now we want to go to the A league and ourselves compete with the best teams.” In addition to the suspended defense chief Abdülkerim Bardakçi, captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu will also be missing. The Inter Milan star will still travel with the team to Montenegro to support his teammates there.
